[Kavou]

Originally Posted by saby

best way to learn from seniors to chat about the work, with the wine in the hand

I wish! I wish! I wish!

[synthetamine]

Originally Posted by jadams007

$10 per hour? sign me up! *joke* I doubt could afford halfway house shelter in LA for $10 per hour. HA!

$18/hour, maybe that will help you

[oceanjake]

For what it's worth, I just moved positions from a studio in LA and I can tell you that most of the people on this forum would not be capable or qualified to fill that position of $18/hr. Working in RGB is nice and forgiving. WYSIWYG. Working in CMYK is a whole other skillset. You have to go by the numbers. You have to have knowledge of color theory, meaning you need to know by looking at a proof and a printed sample what percentage of which colors you need to add or subtract to hit your target. Employers in LA have gotten used to the fact that almost everyone that shows up claiming to be a photoshop expert actually will have only RGB experience, which means that the image is only half way to being printable on any press. If they have to put time into training someone and if they're going to be responsible for all of the rounds of bad proofs and wasted ink trying to get someone up to speed, it's only fair that they pay a reduced rate. Personally, I think the $18/hr opportunity is just that--an opportunity-- for someone that wants to invest some time in a paid tutorial on how to make themselves more marketable and well rounded. Just to dispel any myths, in LA where there is a premium on salaries a GREAT retoucher can make $40/hr. On occasion they can get higher than that, but it's for someone that has put in their time at a company and proven themselves firsthand. It's for someone that works at a FAST pace and can multitask. It's for someone with great people skills that can interact with clients and dazzle them and inspire confidence. Most however make mid to high $20's, plus full medical, dental, vision, 401k, etc. Realize also that a fulltime employer is responsible for unemployment insurance and workers comp insurance to boot...so if you're making 75k a year WITH overtime factoring in (assuming you're not lazy and you're willing to work long days when needed and a saturday here and there on occasion) the company is actually paying over 6 figures to keep you on staff.

Now, with all that being said...there are some rare and exclusive positions out there for those top shelf few people. I'd be willing to be though that every one of those people once held an $18/hr job so they could learn the ins and outs.

[pixel_monkey]

$18 an hour is actually not bad for those that are trying to get into this field or those that are already working at the mid-level, but they were looking for a SENIOR retoucher. Like you said, retouchers at that level probably already invested a lot of time in the company they work and are highly unlikely to switch job only to get half of their current salary. It was certainly a good opportunity for the right retoucher that needed lessons in CMYK if they had the intention to train, but their job descriptions didn't seem like they were looking for a retoucher that was not ready to hit the ground running. I personally wouldn't mind the $18/hr pay if there's a company out there that's willing to train me in CMYK even if I'm going to have a longer commute with gas prices that already hit $5 per gallon.

[synthetamine]

Good thing my resume has a previous marketing and print job title on it.

[Ant]

Originally Posted by pixel_monkey

$18 an hour is actually not bad for those that are trying to get into this field or those that are already working at the mid-level, but they were looking for a SENIOR retoucher. Like you said, retouchers at that level probably already invested a lot of time in the company they work and are highly unlikely to switch job only to get half of their current salary. It was certainly a good opportunity for the right retoucher that needed lessons in CMYK if they had the intention to train, but their job descriptions didn't seem like they were looking for a retoucher that was not ready to hit the ground running. I personally wouldn't mind the $18/hr pay if there's a company out there that's willing to train me in CMYK even if I'm going to have a longer commute with gas prices that already hit $5 per gallon.

HALF?!, try less than 1/3. LA seems like they discount the industry pretty damned heavy. I'd never work there by the sounds of it.

I agree that most people on this forum wouldn't even qualify for the positions advertised however.

Slightly off topic, but there seems to be a big misunderstanding as far as what a Junior retoucher even is. 94% of those that bring up the term wouldn't qualify nor have any idea what the title really entails, let alone a Senior position. Intern is more apt.

[pixelzombie]

Originally Posted by pixel_monkey

I personally wouldn't mind the $18/hr pay if there's a company out there that's willing to train me in CMYK even if I'm going to have a longer commute with gas prices that already hit $5 per gallon.

most places these days don't want to take the time to train anyone, they'll usually have 1 guy that marks up the color and the "operators" will make the moves required...

[pixel_monkey]

I can't imagine any company nowadays would want to invest time and money to train someone hoping that they're getting the right person. Many companies in LA are low-ball to begin with. If you had followed the job postings long enough out here, you'll notice that most of them aren't willing to give you the retoucher title so they don't have to offer you the salary of a retoucher even though the job's responsibility is essentially retouching. Most of these companies also require you to disclose your salary histories so they can immediately opt you out if you're already getting paid too much or offer you a 5%-10% salary increase, which is not enough for you to give up your job security and your benefits for the next 90 days. I've considered moving to NYC to start from the bottom again.

[pixelzombie]

if you're lucky you may be able to get your foot in the door at a press house or pre-press house that does extensive catalog work but you'll still need some basic cmyk knowledge..check if any of the local community colleges offer a Intro to Offset class or some type of color theory class...

[smak]

Wow, I make more than that delivering newspapers (and some other tasks) full time in Florida. 3 minute commute.
Looks like Photoshop will remain just a hobby.

[oceanjake]

for what it's worth, i'm now the color studio manager at a large prepress/print/outdoor company in Orange County. We're not immediately hiring but if anyone WOULD be interested in an apprentice position, PM me and I'll contact you when we're looking...probably in a month or so.

[sonny7]

Do not respond to ANY thing on Craigslist.
Just on a try I fell in to that trap and was rewarded with an email response
from England for a collection scam. The job (gig) on Craigslist was for a retoucher.

[Benny Profane]

Now, now, let's not generalize too much about Craigs. Found a nice little cottage up in Westchester on it. And, hey, even Box advertised on it a few months ago.

[Touch_Again]

I hope this does not come across as rude but it's highly likely that Barrington Staffing Services had no joy on Monster as they are only offering $18 per hour. I have only been retouching for ten years but $18 seems like a bit of an insult to anyone less than maybe a guy/girl fresh out of school.

Anyway I am not shooting the messenger and thanks for posting this info anyway. How knows ............ maybe retouching work will pay a decent livable wage/rate again.

Rich 'Touch_Again'

Originally Posted by pixel_monkey

I saw the following posting on Monster 3 weeks ago. Now I know why they still haven't found anybody and turned their attention to Craiglist.

same posting on Monster 3 weeks ago

Reply to: job-625160337@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-03-31, 9:48AM PDT


Print Company, Second Shift (hours: 4pm-12:30am), M-F, possible temp to hire opportunity for the right person! Ideal candidate possesses an in-depth, technical and creative understanding of retouching as well as prolific understanding of color theory. Must be extremely detail oriented & have the ability to follow instructions independently. Experience is required, Call Personnel at (818)954-8237, Barrington Staffing Services.




* Location: Burbank
* Compensation: $18/hr+ DOE
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Phone calls about this job are ok.
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.


PostingID: 625160337

[sonny7]

Sorry Benny, I was speaking about retouching gigs.
I found my apt. on the list. Go figure.